On Saturday, the Knights were looking to do the same at the exact location, but in the Division 2 title game.

A potential fairytale story had a heartbreaking ending.

Tied at 22-22 with the Kalamazoo Bulldogs co-op team after a 10-minute overtime session, the Knights' fate was determined on penalty kicks. Unfortunately, Kenowa Hills failed to convert on two of three kicks, while Kalamazoo made two attempts, giving the Bulldogs the championship.

"We clawed our way back and honestly, I liked our chances," said Kenowa Hills' coach Jeff Ouellette. "We just had a couple (kicks) go astray."

Kenowa Hills' title chances looked bleak after it fell behind 15-3 to Kalamazoo with 16 minutes, 20 seconds remaining in the second half. But the Knights, who struggled to move the ball effectively throughout, instead fought back by being opportunistic. The Knights cut their deficit to 15-10 after Jeff DeWinter picked up an errant Bulldogs' kick deep in Kenowa Hills territory for a try. Michael Hughes converted the two-point conversion kick to make it a 15-10 score.

"We've got 14 seniors on this team and we talked a lot about not getting down and hanging in there," Ouellette said. "They took it upon themselves to come back and make a run at it."

Kenowa Hills' Josh Long scored an equalizing try on short yardage with 7 minutes to go, but a sharp-angled conversion try failed, tying the score at 15.

In the overtime, which was split into two 5-minute halves, Kalamazoo scored in the opening half, and DeWinter fell on a loose ball to tie the game again in the second session.

The best-of-3 penalty kick round was tied at 1-1 after two rounds, but the Bulldogs' try was true on its third attempt. Hughes' attempt at an equalizer had the distance and height, but it sailed wide left. He instantly slumped to the ground in dismay, as Kalamazoo players celebrated the victory.

Hughes gave his squad a 3-0 lead in the first half as he converted a penalty kick – nearly from the same location and distance as his costly miss. But the Bulldogs responded by scoring 15 unanswered points to take control.